Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-10-27
NOT A DOLLAR A DAY.
The wretchea Wages and Hard Life
Of the Lehigh Coal Miners.

At conference OF joint committees OF labor
organizations, held in Pottsville Pa. Jno. L Lee
chairman, and Joseph Cahill, secretary and treas
urer of the executive board OF the railroaders'
convention, OF Philadelphia, reported that they
had made a thorough canvass and investigation Of
affairs in the Lehigh region for the purpose OF lay
ing cold facts before the public. In the Lehigh
region the miners receive n cents for two tons
(96 cubic feet Of coal 1t costs the Lehigh re-
gion miner Is cents per car for powder,
cents per car for Oil, cotton, ETC., and 81 cents
per car for the laborer who loads the COAL
making a total cost Of SO cents per car, which.
when deducted from the amount he receives
per car, would leave the miner q net prOnt OF
% cents per car, or 12K cents per ton In case
q miner In the Lehtgh region has had roof to
work under and 1t falls In his way he is forced to
remove this rock at his his own expense. For
raising prop Ia supporp for the purpose Of up
holding the loose roof he Is paid as low 80 cents
and It often requires from one two hours for the
miner and his labOrer TO remove this prop. A
miner and his labOrer work from one to two hours
day at what is known as dead work. such as
cleaning rock slate, building schutes and plat
forms and constructing buggy roads for which he
receives no compensation. II miner Is wanted to
do company work he is paid as low as 81 15 per
operator and miner called for 81 SO per day for a
miner II the company required his services, and
that when coal brought the price 1t does at pres
ent.
The operators buy powder at from sl.15 to s1.25
per keg G5 pounds to the keg1 and charge
luc LulLcI pei hCS lOI tuc SdIue lucy
pay from 25 to 80 cents per gallon for Oil and
charge the miner IS cents for the same: other
supplies such as paper, squbs cotton. tubes, &C.,
are equally as profitable to the operator or COM
pany. The Lehigh miner is his employers tenant
He is generally compelled TO deal In his employers
store; he must patrOnize the company's doctor by
paying him a royalty OF rs cents per month II
married and If single so cents per mon h.
Though the married man pays rs cents per
month to the doctor whether his services
are needed or not, II child Is born to him he
must pay from$5 TO IS extra. II the mother needs
stmuant 1t is charged extra. Rents are from a to
s.. as per month. The miner pays 81 per month for
coal whether he uses 1t or not, and must pay as
high as IS cents for hauling 1t when the team is
used. The company store goods are as high In
proportion as their mine supplies, which are out
rageOusly exorbtant. And last, but not least, the
miner is unable to make a respectable living, and
when he reaches a certain limit Of Indebtedness
the companies refuse even to furnish him with
the necessaries OF life by shutting down his ac-
counts until he pays his full bill 1t has been
stated by Mr.. Pardee, say these committeeman, in
interview with reporter, that there are 81 900
men out on a strike, and that those 21,OOO were
losing $4,000 day, which is a tactt acknowledge
ment from high authority that the average OF
wages paid Is less than 81 a day-a fact IN Itself
which shows that the men were not receiving
ADEQUATE CONDENSATION for their labor,